this is the "cbs evening news" with scott pelley.

spicer did not deny the comments but in a statement said "by grand standing and polit sizing the investigation into russia's actions, james comey created unnecessary pressure on our ability to engage and negotiate in russia." >> and i also got a very, very strong recommendation, as you know, from the deputy attorney general, rod rosenstein. >> reporter: the president has given conflicting accounts of why he fired comey. just yesterday, he pointed to his deputy attorney general, who wrote a memo criticizing comey's handling of the clinton email investigation. but last week he said it was because of the russia investigation. >> this russia thing with trump and russia is a made-up story. >> reporter: in response to today's revelation, democratic senator patrick leahy tweeted, "this is what obstruction looks like." the f.b.i. counter-intelligence investigation has been scrutinizing the president's former national security adviser

chairman, paul manafort, and former foreign policy adviser carter page. former u.s. intelligence officials tell cbs news that during the last seven months of the campaign, electronic surveillance picked up multiple contact betweens trump associates and russian officials or operatives. flynn was fired just 24 days into president trump's term for lying to the vice president about his contacts with ambassador kislyak. but other trump officials also spoke or met with the russians, among them attorney general jeff sessions and the president's adviser and son-in-law, jared kushner. last december, kushner met with kislyak at trump tower, and then at kislyak's urging, met with the head of a state-owned bank with deep ties to russian intelligence. tonight, according to the "washington post," the f.b.i. investigation has identified a significant person of interest as a current white house official. anthony, "the post" did not

say senior white house adviser who is close to the president. >> mason: jeff pegues. thank you, jeff. today, the man whose blistering memo preceded comey's firing explained to house members why he wrote it, but many questions remain. here's nancy cordes. >> reporter: deputy attorney general rod rosenstein told lawmakers behind closed doors today that no one told him what to say in that scathing memo he sent to the president, the same day comey was fired. according to his prepared remarks, rosenstein said, "i wrote it. i believe it. i stand by it." he also said that he and attorney general jeff sessions had "discussed the need for new leadership at the f.b.i.," as far back as last winter. >> i think we are still puzzled about the memorandum. >> reporter: there were many questions rosenstein wouldn't answer today. did he suggest that he was pressured in any way to come down hard on james comey in that memo?

any question that would answer your question. >> reporter: after he was fired, comey told friends he has notes detailing the president's attempts to extract his loyalty and influence the investigation. >> comey was just completely disgusted by it. >> disgusted. >> disgusted by the episode. >> reporter: one of those friends, benjamin wittes, says comey tried to establish boundaries, like the time he attended a white house ceremony two days after the inauguration. >> he stands in the part of the room that is as far from trump as it is physically possible to be. >> oh, and there's jim. >> reporter: trump signals him out. >> he's become more famous than me. >> reporter: in a fashion that he regarded as sort of, you know, calculated. he thought it was an intentional attempt to compromise him in public. >> reporter: the deputy attorney general told lawmakers today that the new special counsel he appointed this week, robert mueller, will have

latitude to look into all of this, including, anthony, the president's action, and even rosenstein's role in his firing. >> mason: nancy cordes. thank you, nancy. saudi arabia is the first stop on the president's trip. this week, his son, donald trump jr., delivered a commencement address in neighboring united arab emirates. as julianna goldman reports, the younger trump's appearance in dubai is raising new questions about potential conflicts of interest. >> thank you. >> reporter: when donald trump jr. spoke to graduates of the american university in dubai earlier this week, he joined the ranks of such distinguished commencement speaker as former president bill clinton and former secretary of state colin powell. >> when i look back on what my father did in this past election, and the risk he took. >> reporter: clinton got $150,000 for his speech in 2002. another speaker told cbs news they were paid $60,000, plus first class airfare. the trump organization wouldn't y

received but told us he's "been participating in business-related speaking engagements for over a decade." >> you can do it all! >> reporter: during the presidential campaign, trump jr. hammered bill clinton for accepting speaking fees from foreign entities while hillary clinton was secretary of state called it "pay to play." while the university is private, sources tell cbs news dubai helped found and holds a continuing stake in the school, raising the ethical question of whether a foreign government could be trying to curry favor with the president through his family. >> donald trump jr. is, you know, is part of his father's business, but he doesn't really have other experiences that would make him kind of a normal speaker at these things. >> reporter: karen young is with the arab gulf states institute. >> certainly, from the trump organization perspective, this is, like, good public relations, right. it's good community relations. >> reporter: the speech comes as he's actively marketing

multi-million-dollar condos at a new trump-branded golf resort in dubai. while there, trump also had lunch with their business partner in the development, who posted this picture on social media. this is donald trump jr.'s second visit to dubai in three months. anthony, his last trip to open that golf resort racked up at least $16,000 in hotel costs for his taxpayer-funded secret service protection. >> mason: julianna, thanks. iran voted for a new president today. no results yet. the campaign had a familiar theme-- a populist facing the incumbent. elizabeth palmer is in tehran. >> reporter: this race came down to a clear choice between the current moderate president hassan rouhani, whose promises for liberal reforms appeal to young people. and the hard liner, vicente arenas, a populist, who promised his cash handouts and millions of jobs.

voting on today is how their country will relate with u.s. and the world, with cooperation led by rouhani the reformist, or with suspicion and hostility under vicente arenas. 38 years ago, iranian students held 52 americans hostage in the u.s. exwaels exwaes. their spokeswoman was masoumeh ebtekar. today, she's one of iran's vice presidents who's done something of a 180 over the years and now hopes for better relations with the u.s. are they likely to come under president trump is on the record as saying iran is a hostile presence air, problem? >> he's also changing a lot of his positions as well. he's also making a lot of u-turns. >> reporter: so you're hoping president trump will change his position on iran. >> i hope he'll adjust them to the realities. >> reporter: realities like the nuclear deal which was backed by millions of voters here who hope it's the first step toward even stronger

with america. but another reality is at the moment, there is no sign the trump white house is sharing that. in fact, anthony, the u.s. added some fresh sanctions against iran this week. so the signs are that things are about to get decidedly frosty. >> mason: in tehran, elizabeth palmer. thanks, liz. a man was arrested today after disrupting a flight from l.a. to honolulu. transportation correspondent kris van cleave has more on this breaking story. kris. >> reporter: anthony, the passenger on board this americannarilys flight from los angeles to honolulu, was described as loitering around the bathroom at the front of the plane. he was carrying a laptop,s of asked to sit down by a flight attendant. at that point, made some kind of a movement that appeared as though he was trying to force his way into the cockpit. we will hoe you some video of the f.b.i. leading the man off the airbus a-321 after it landed in

belligerent on board after he was asked to be seated and had to be subdued. the plane was also escorted into honolulu by two f-22 fighter jets. we understand the plane abruptly descended to a lower altitude. that could be done as a precautionary measure if there is a concern about an explosive device being on board. now, this is a little unusual it's department of homeland security has issued a statement saying the secretary of d.h.s. was notified about the incident, and, anthony, the agency says they are monitoring all other flights but at this point there are no other reports of disruption. >> mason: scary moments for the passengers. kris van cleave, thanks. 152 years and one month after confederate general robert e. lee surrendered his army to ulysses s. grant, a statue of lee is falling in new orleans tonight. omar villafranca is there. >> reporter: after 133 years of standing over new orleans, a statue ded indicated to nf

lee is the final statue to come down. new orleans mayor mitch landrieu: >> these monuments celebrate a fictional, sanitized confederacy, ignoring the death, ignoring the enslavement. >> reporter: the statue of lee is the first one to come down in broad daylight. under the cover of darkness, workers removed the stat fiewrs confederate president jefferson davis, general p.g.t beauregard, and the liberty monument because police say there were threats made against the crews. >> if we take down these statues and don't change to become a more open and inclusive society, then all of this would have been in vain. >> reporter: protests erupted in new orleans when the city decided to remove the monuments. both sides argued over whether these monuments celebrated racism or southern heritage. dr. maria ortiz with the southern christian leadership council worked for 44 years to bring the monuments down. >> i would point up there and i would say, "you devil. you coming dow

i thought was oppression and what my grandmother, sweating blood. >> reporter: businessman frank stewart thinks the stat use should remain. >> i really don't think that anybody should have the privilege of changing history because history is truth. >> reporter: no word on where the stat use will end up, but, anthony, the mayor says they cannot be displayed outdoors on public property. >> mason: omar villafranca, thank you, omar. coming up next on the cbs evening news, new details about the driver in the times square car attack. he told me to look at this grid every day. and we came up with a plan to help reduce my risk of progression, including preservision areds 2. my doctor said preservision areds 2 has the exact nutrient formula the national eye institute recommends to help reduce the risk of progression of moderate to advanced amd after 15 years of clinical studies.

because my eyes are everything. brtry new flonase sensimists. allergy relief instead of allergy pills. it delivers a gentle mist experience to help block six key inflammatory substances. most allergy pills only block one. new flonase sensimist changes everything. flea bites can mean misery for your cat. advantage® ii monthly topical kills fleas through contact. fleas do not have to bite your cat to die. advantage® ii. fight the misery of biting fleas. if you have moderate to severe plaque psoriasis, isn't it time to let the real you shine through? introducing otezla, apremilast. otezla is not an injection or a cream. it's a pill that treats plaque psoriasis differently. some people who took otezla saw 75% clearer skin after 4 months. and otezla's prescribing information

routine lab monitoring. don't take otezla if you are allergic to any of its ingredients. otezla may increase the risk of depression. tell your doctor if you have a history of depression or suicidal thoughts, or if these feelings develop. some people taking otezla reported weight loss. your doctor should monitor your weight and may stop treatment. side effects may include diarrhea, nausea, upper respiratory tract infection, and headache. tell your doctor about all the medicines you take, and if you're pregnant or planning to be. ask your dermatologist about otezla today. otezla. show more of you. >> mason: prosecutors say the driver who mowed down a crowd in times square yesterday killing a teenaged tourist said he wanted to "kill them all." he was charged with murder today. michelle miller has newly released surveillance video that shows every second of the horror. we caution you it is graphic. >> reporter: without any warning, the dri

maroon honda made an abrupt u-turn on to a bustling sidewalk on 42nd street, mowing down a crowd of people seen here falling off of the hood of his car. he sped up, barreling through more pedestrians, including 18-year-old alyssa elsman, who died at the scene. this woman is struck as she tries to get away. parts of the car are torn off as the vehicle runs over another fleeing pedestrian. as the car accelerates, people take cover anywhere they can. a block later, the car comes to a crashing halt, slamming into steel barricades put in place to stop terrorist attacks. it all took less than a minute. >> reporter: the suspect then jumps out of his car, running erratically across 45th street. 26-year-old richard rojas is apprehended a few moments later. sources tel

claimed to have heard voices and that he did it for god. he told police he smoked marijuana laced with p.c.p. before the incident. three people remain in critical condition, anthony, as people come down to times square to memorialize this temporary barricade. >> mason: terrifying video. michelle miller, thank you. still ahead, new laws to unblock sunblock at schools. swimmer who's stared down the best in her sport. but for both of them, the most challenging opponent was... pe blood clots in my lung. it was really scary. a dvt in my leg. i had to learn all i could to help protect myself. my doctor and i choose xarelto® xarelto®... to help keep me protected. xarelto® is a latest-generation blood thinner... ...that's proven to treat and reduce the risk of dvt and pe blood clots from happening again. in clinical studies, almost 98% of patients on xarelto®

orks. xarelto® works differently. warfarin interferes with at least six blood-clotting factors. xarelto® is selective... ...targeting just one critical factor, interacting with less of your body's natural blood-clotting function. don't stop taking xarelto® without talking to your doctor as this may increase risk of blood clots. while taking, you may bruise more easily, or take longer for bleeding to stop. it may increase your risk of bleeding if you take certain medicines. xarelto® can cause serious, and in rare cases, fatal bleeding. get help right away for unexpected bleeding, unusual bruising, or tingling. if you've had spinal anesthesia, watch for back pain or any nerve or muscle-related signs or symptoms. do not take xarelto® if you have an artificial heart valve or abnormal bleeding. tell your doctor before all planned medical or dental procedures and before starting xarelto® about any conditions, such as kidney, liver, or bleeding problems. you've got to learn all you can... ...to help protect yourself from dvt and pe blood clots. talk to your doctor about xarelto®. there's more to know.

people spend less time lying awake with aches and pains with advil pm than with tylenol pm. advil pm combines the number one pain reliever with the number one sleep aid. gentle, non-habit forming advil pm. for a healing night's sleep.

>> mason: in many cases kids need a doctor's note to put on sunscreen at school, but jericka duncan found out some states are starting to rub out that policy oarpt on sunny days, susan grenon and her 10-year-old son, paul, enjoy spending time in the backyard of their smithfield, rhode island home, but before they head out, they always lather on the sunscreen. >> have

gnome expaz four precancerous moles removed in the past three years. >> reporter: you don't want your son to go through that. >> absolutely not. >> reporter: the threat of skin cancer was a wake-up call to protect herself and her son, who burns easily. but when paul is at school, he and other students cannot apply sunscreen without a doctor's note. that's because the food and drug administration classifies sunscreen as an over-the-counter drurk like coff syrup. rhode island is among eight states with pending legislation that makes an exception for sunscreen. at least seven states have passed a law allowing students to apply sunscreen without special permission. dermatologist dr. jeff ashley helped craft california's law to allow sunscreen in schools. >> we would sure like for every school in the country to have an allowance for the children to use sunscreen. >> reporter: according to the c.d.c., one sunburn in childhood nearly doubles a person's lifetime risk of getting melanoma, the most dangerous

>> if there was widespread use of sunscreen and it was used properly, we would definitely see a decline in our skin cancer rates. >> reporter: susan grenon says shining a light on sunscreen safety may save lives. >> all the damage is done young, but you don't know it now. but you're preventing it when they get older. >> reporter: states in the northern region have some of the highest rates of melanoma anthony. each year, more than 70,000 people are diagnosed. about 9,000 die from the disease. >> mason. and "on the road"" is next. steve hartman found the biggest heart in texas. would you like to overcome sluggishness? trubiotics can help you feel lighter, more energetic, by naturally supporting your digestive and immune health. trubiotics, a daily probiotic that helps restore the balance of good bacteria. trubiotics, from one a day.

...it starts a chain reaction... ...that's heard throughout the connected business world. at&t network security helps protect business, from the largest financial markets to the smallest transactions, by sensing cyber-attacks in near real time and automatically deploying countermeasures. keeping the world of business connected and protected. that's the power of and. [boy] cannonball! [girl] don't... [man] not again! [burke] swan drive. seen it. covered it. we know a thing or two because we've seen a thing or two. ♪ we are farmers. bum-pa-dum, bum-bum-bum-bum ♪ to real teeth. dentures are very different they're about 10 times softer and may have surface pores where bacteria can multiply. polident kills 99.99% of odor causing bacteria and helps dissolve stains. so dentures are cleaner, fresher, and brighter. polident. i needed something more to help control my type 2 diabetes.

my a1c wasn't were it needed to be. so i liked when my doctor told me that i may reach my blood sugar and a1c goals by activating what's within me with once-weekly trulicity. trulicity is not insulin. it helps activate my body to do what it's suppose to do, release its own insulin. i take it once a week, and it works 24/7. it comes in an easy-to-use pen and i may even lose a little weight. trulicity is a once-weekly injectable prescription medicine to improve blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes when used with diet and exercise. trulicity is not insulin. it should not be the first medicine to treat diabetes, or for people with type 1 diabetes or diabetic ketoacidosis. do not take trulicity if you or a family member has had medullary thyroid cancer, if you've had multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2, or if you are allergic to trulicity. stop trulicity and call your doctor right away if you have a lump or swelling in your neck,

severe pain in your stomach, or symptoms such as itching, rash, or trouble breathing. serious side effects may include pancreatitis, which can be fatal. taking trulicity with a sulfonylurea or insulin, increases your risk for low blood sugar. common side effects include nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, decreased appetite and indigestion. some side effects can lead to dehydration, which may make existing kidney problems worse. once-weekly trulicity may help me reach my blood sugar goals. with trulicity, i click to activate what's within me. if you want help improving your a1c and blood sugar, activate your within. ask your doctor about once-weekly trulicity. >> mason: do guardian angels

hartman found one "on the road." >> reporter: used to be whe when ginger sprouse came across homeless people she would often give them something-- her two cents. >> i would say, "why don't you get a job?" or "what's your problem?" it made me very uncomfortable. i didn't want to have anything to do with it. i've been that way my whole life. >> reporter: but about a jeer ago, ginger, who owns a cooking school outside houston, decided she didn't like that about herself and would at least try to change. >> he would stand right here on the corner. >> reporter: he began by approaching a guy she used tol o work. his name is victor hubbard. victor says he told ginger how he ended up on the streets after his mother moved away and left him. you had no idea where your momde was. >> r said ginger listed a went on her away. couldn't get him ot of my mind. and i was like okay, fine, i'll go back. but what really got me-- this i

probably after the third time i met him-- he said, "when are you coming back?" >> people would come by and i was like, "you know, i have a friend named ginger. she's on her way." i was trying to let them know-- >> reporter: somebody was watching out for you. >> yes, i was taken care of. >> reporter: this continued for a few months until the day ginger realized she couldn't keep going on like this. it was a cold december night, and although victor had food and blankets, there's only so much comfort you can pass through a car window. so ginger did something, something the old ginger would have never dreamed of doing. >> i could not leave him there. >> reporter: she went to her husband with a request. >> i asked dean would it be okay with you if i went and got him? and i said, "if he could just stay one night because it's raining." >> reporter: another stop right there. >> okay. >> i had to think about it. >> reporter: i'm sure you did. >> reporter: i'm starting to recognize a slippery slope here. >> yes, exactly. the honest truth is when she says, "i feel compelled to help this guy" how i can say no to

victor hubbard found his second family. >> oh, yeah! >> reporter: he now lives with ginger and dean full time. >> that was my favorite. >> reporter: they helped him get social services and doctors' appointments, introduced him to the community, and made him part of it. victor also works two jobs now, one at a burger joint-- >> yup, just leak that. >> reporter: and another at a cooking school where he has one of the most compassionate bosses in south texas. >> there you go. looks good. life is messy, but if you're going to love other people, you have to be willing to step into their mess. my whole life i wanted to avoid that. that's why i rolled the window up and wouldn't look. give it some distance. >> reporter: and that's why she now rolls it down to let the bletion blow in. steve hartman "on the road" in houston, texas. >> mason: life is messy, but she's doing a nice cleanup job. that's the cbs evening news. for scott pelley i'm anthony mason. i'm seal you tomorrow on "cbs this morning" saturday." thanks for watching.

we're going to start our script off tonight with breaking weather. severe storms moving through the washington area right now. >> we had hail yesterday on the virginia side. now somewhere massive hail on the maryland side. this is the radar over the last hour. this is a tremendous storm that developed over the past hour and a half. still getting hammered down the northern neck. we will concentrate on this storm. we have new warnings on this storm. they have extended off to the east. this has hail. we have confirmed reports of hail. strong gusty winds and rainfall rates of 1-2 inches per hour. it extends from gaithersburg across 270. across 28. all the way into laurel which means it crosses over 95 and the baltimore washington parkway. these are hail tracks.